Our Mission

The mission of Student/Partner Alliance (S/PA) is to support motivated high school students at private high schools in New Jersey’s urban areas of Essex and Hudson counties with tuition assistance and mentoring to increase their chances for college admission and scholarships, and ultimately to lead successful and productive lives.

Our Story

In the late 1980s, Tom Cash informally started what would become called Student/Partner Alliance by providing ten students in Jersey City with tuition assistance at St. Mary’s High School. Tom recognized that students attending top quality, college preparatory high schools in their neighborhoods were more prepared to qualify for college admission and scholarships. Tom’s friends and business partners learned of his contributions and became interested in supporting tuition and mentoring students. Student/Partner Alliance was formally incorporated in 1993 and, since that time, has provided scholarship and mentoring support to more than 2,300 students from low-income areas.

Our Program

S/PA is a nonprofit 501 ( c ) (3) charity unique among scholarship organizations in Northern New Jersey because we provide both scholarship and mentoring support. This combination is key to S/PA’s 100% high school graduation rate and 100% enrollment rate in college, post-secondary school, or the armed services, over the past ten academic years. Mentors motivate students to succeed not only in academics, but also personally by encouraging them to reach for higher goals and achieve their potential.

» read more

S/PA currently provides support for 185 students at private Catholic high schools in Essex, Hudson and Union counties; Hudson Catholic High School in Jersey City, St. Dominic’s Academy in Jersey City, Immaculate Conception High School in Montclair, St. Benedict’s Prep in Newark and St. Vincent Academy in Newark. 90% of S/PA students come from homes with family incomes of less than $45,000 annually and 70% come from single-parent homes. To receive support from S/PA, students undergo a rigorous application process including a review of academic performance, teacher recommendations, financial information, and an in-person interview. Accepted S/PA students are paired with a partner or sponsor and mentor who commit to providing that student with tuition and mentoring support for four years. A partner provides both tuition assistance and mentorship while a mentor provides only mentoring support; and a sponsor provides only financial support. Corporations and foundations often serve as sponsors for one or more students. Partners and sponsors contribute $3,000 annually for four years towards a student’s tuition. S/PA organizes specific opportunities for students, partners, and mentors to meet throughout the year, encouraging the development of a student/partner mentoring relationship. Events include in-person breakfasts and lunches at our affiliated schools, an annual Mentor Training program, along with various virtual events.

» close

Corporate & Foundation Sponsors

 The Achelis & Bodman Foundation

 Anonymous

 Boffa & Company

 Nicholas J. and Anna K. Bouras Foundation

Bristol-Myers Squibb

The Gary C. Butler Family Foundation

Citizens Philanthropic Foundation 

The Della Rosa Family Foundation

DiPaolo Family Foundation 

Robert and Joan Dircks Foundation

Mary A. & Thomas F. Grasselli Endowment Foundation

 E.J. Grassmann Trust

 Healy Family Foundation

 Hyde & Watson Foundation

Investors Bank and Foundation

Kearny Bank Foundation

Legacy Care Wealth, LLC

Liberal Finance Services

Link Family Foundation

Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corp.

PSEG Foundation

Fred C. Rummel Foundation

Mary Reinhart Stackhouse Foundation

The Summit Foundation

Sweetie Pig Foundation

Ann Earle Talcott Fund 

Turrell Fund

US Bank

George A. Ohl, Jr Trust of Wells Fargo

Walsh Family Fund

From the Board

“S/PA has been a wonderful platform in my life to allow me to give back in a meaningful way to high school students in local urban areas.”

“Through Student/Partner Alliance’s magical combination of financial scholarships and mentoring, good students do better and those who would not have made it through the public schools graduate and go on to college and successful lives.”

From the Staff:

“I was originally drawn to S/PA because it is a model that works! With the combination of mentoring and tuition assistance, S/PA is not a hand-out; but a hand-up, and a help through difficult times or situations.”

“I believe that education is the pathway to success and I’m proud that we are helping students locally in New Jersey.”

“I believe that all children of all colors, national origins and religions have the right to an excellent education.”

Benefits of an Education

The yearly salary of an individual without a high school degree will be $26,000
and with a BA will be $60,000 (US Department of Labor).